If you are looking for a Australian native substitute for Iris in your cottage garden then this is a great option. Orthrosanthus multiflorus form neat strappy clumps and for most of the year provide a contrasting form in the Australian native cottage garden. Then in spring you are rewarded with stalks of pale blue lily like flowers. Each flower only lasts a day but don’t worry there will be more to follow tomorrow and it will flower like this for 3 months.

Pollinator friendly low growing borders and verge gardens are ideal uses for this hardy but beautiful Australian native plant. It could easily be planted in a predominantly grassy green garden to provide a spectacular and unexpected pop of colour in the spring time. Add clumps of 3 plants for more dramatic impact. You could also plant Morning Iris as an exotic bulb replacement in drifts in an English or European style garden or as a drought hardy replacement for Agapanthus.

They are low fuss, requiring little maintenance, and drought hardy although they do prefer a moist semi-shaded position. They do not do well under large trees in my experience, if you can supply seasonal watering in the build up to flowering. Seem unbothered by pests. All mine need only one small tidy a year when I carefully remove dead leaves. I also remove old flower stems so the plant doesn’t put too much energy into seed production – you will be rewarded with more flowers next year!